Talent brings success

"We have a top position in the global hot-melt sector with operations spread across the European Union, North Africa, the Middle East, the United States and Latin America,” says Sofia Koehler, Vice-President of Colquimica Adhesives Group and Chairman of Colquimica Adhesives Inc.

The Portuguese company develops a wide range of adhesives for different markets, such as personal care, industrial packaging, mattresses, paper conversion and product assembly.

“Our products meet the most demanding needs of the different industries we serve. We rely on professionals who, with the support and technical knowledge of suppliers such as Nynas, develop high-quality products, which bring innovation to the market.”

Close collaboration with their partners is crucial for success.

“We welcome with enthusiasm new challenges that will help us evolve and place a particular focus on maintaining close relationships with our suppliers, which are our main source of innovation.

Colquimica and Nynas have worked together for more than a decade, building a strong partnership which has enabled both companies to develop their businesses throughout the years.

“Nynas has supplied naphthenic oils that helped us develop our portfolio of hot-melt adhesives in hygiene, labelling and general assembly.”

The collaboration has worked well even when challenges have arisen, for example when the supply of NYFLEX® 222B was at risk due to the political problems in Venezuela.

“We worked together to make a smooth transition to NYFLEX® 223, produced in Sweden. It was a successful change and we were very satisfied with all the technical support provided by Nynas,” notes Sofia Koehler.

She sees Nynas as a company that constantly challenges itself, elevates industry standards and looks for continuous development.

“We are always adapting to new market needs and looking to create innovative solutions, and trust Nynas to be a strong and reliable partner to overcome all the challenges we have ahead of us.”

The aim is to continue developing Colquimica in the global hot-melt sector with partnerships based on ethics, trust and transparency, which will allow the company to grow in a sustainable way.

“When we speak about the future, we always think about sustainability. We understand that we need to guarantee economic growth for the evolution of the company and its employees, but we align these goals with a continuous trajectory of environmental, ecological and social responsibility,” concludes Sofia Koehler, adding:

“A key aim for us is also to be a magnet for talented people around the world, because we know our success is the result of the day-to-day work of our teams.”

Colquimica and Covid-19

• “Faced with the pandemic, our main priority was to protect the health of our employees and partners. Our second concern was to guarantee that all orders were delivered on time,” says Sofia Koehler.
• Colquimica had to reassess risks with current and backup suppliers, verify demand with customers to avoid a bullwhip effect and recalculate the time needed to guarantee order dates and control expectations.
• “We were able to overcome all challenges relating to the supply chain during the pandemic.”
• Faced with this unparalleled episode, the company saw some market segments, such as mattresses and product assembly, decrease their consumption of hot-melt adhesives worldwide. Other sectors, such as personal care and the food and beverage industry, showed immunity to the crisis and maintained or even increased their level of consumption.
• “During the pandemic, we increased our level of communication with Nynas, because communication is even more important in a time of crisis.”